In one of my earlier blogs I discussed the distinction between the ideas of ethnic heritage and ethnic identity. In brief, all Americans have ethnic heritage, sometimes multiple heritages through their various ancestries. Yet not all Americans have ethnic identity, which takes root when one dimension of your heritage evolves into an integral part of your very being. Identity, in short, is not something you choose. It's something you feel.

Recent events, however, have caused me to consider still another possible option, although at this point I'm not sure what to label it. For now, I'll simply call it an ethnic special interest. Let me explain.

My father was raised in Guadalajara, Mexico. His family fled to the United...

A broad overhaul of the nation's immigration laws has been debated and discussed among policy makers for a dozen years, but Congress has yet to pass a bill. Last month, several Hispanic advocacy leaders criticized the president for policies that have contributed to the more than three million immigrants deported since 2004. Yet now, some Latino leaders are wondering if immigration reform is perhaps “crowding out other issues facing the Latino community.”

Sixty years ago, the Supreme Court handed down its landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision, holding that racial segregation in public schools violated the Constitution. But while schools have become more integrated, in part due to broad demographic trends, white students remain significantly less likely than minorities to attend diverse schools, according to an analysis of U.S. Department of Education data by the Pew Research Center.

The University of California has admitted more Hispanics than whites for the first time, reflecting demographic shifts in the country's largest state. The state university system also admitted more students from other states and abroad, who pay higher tuition, a national trend at state universities.

Latinos account for 28.8% of the 61,120 Californians admitted for this fall's freshman class at the UC system's nine undergraduate campuses, up from 27.6% last year and topping the 26.8% share of whites, preliminary data show.

Both trail the 36.2% share for Asians, the largest freshman group for the past few years. Blacks represented 4.2% of those admitted, the same as in 2013.